1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to earthmoving machinery and equipment, and particularly to an apparatus for attaching a blade, compactor, or other accessory to the shovel of an excavator.
2. Description of Related Art
Earthmoving machinery and equipment has greatly facilitated the construction of buildings, highways, bridges, and other structures. A variety of machines are available, from the general purpose bulldozer to more specialized equipment, including front end loaders, backhoes, graders, scrapers, etc. Although specialized equipment makes many tasks easier, a drawback to the variety of equipment available is that each machine is very expensive. Apparatus for attaching an accessory to an earthmoving machine so that it may perform the function of two machines is therefore desirable. Several patents describe apparatus for attaching blades to the bucket of front end loaders and backhoes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,744, issued Apr. 29, 1969 to S. G. Smith, describes a blade attachment for a front end loader which includes a frame with a mounting edge member having a recess which receives the teeth on the lower edge of the front end loader bucket, the edge member having a length equal to the side to side width of the bucket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,330, issued Sep. 30, 1969 to Hood, et al., discloses a blade attachment for a backhoe, the blade having U-shaped pockets on its rear surface for receiving the teeth on the backhoe bucket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,271, issued Mar. 9, 1976 to A. J. George, teaches a blade for attachment to a backhoe which includes a V-shaped housing for receiving the teeth of the backhoe bucket. U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,529, issued Mar. 1, 1977 to L. M. Johnson, shows a blade attached to a backhoe bucket by a series of clamp plates engaging the teeth of the backhoe bucket, the clamp plates being on both sides of the teeth and secured to the bucket by nuts and bolts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,854, issued Feb. 26, 1980 to J. A. Haynes, describes a grader blade attachable to a front end loader of a backhoe by a bifurcated member having one leg extending into the bucket and secured by a plurality of jackscrews, the other leg extending below the bucket and having an L-shaped member to which the blade is pivotally attached. U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,628, issued May 11, 1982 to B. N. Thomas, discloses a snow plough attachment for a front end loader including a blade with a frame pivotally attached to the rear of the blade, the frame being attached to the bucket by angles which engage the lower edge of the bucket, brackets inside the bucket which engage the frame, and a connector arm pinned to the top edge of the bucket. A semicircular beam is attached to the rear of the blade and slidable through sleeves attached to the frame, with hydraulic cylinders mounted between the frame and the circular beam to vary the angle of the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,884, issued Mar. 17, 1981 to E. D. Williams, teaches a snow plough attachment for a front end loader in which the blade has a pair of brackets on its rear surface, the brackets supporting pins on their upper ends which are received by hooks attached to the top edge of the loader bucket, and having slots defined in their lower ends for receiving the bottom edge of the bucket. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,980, issued Nov. 30, 1982 to J. D. Jarvis, shows a blade attached to a backhoe by an inclined plate with bosses forming a pocket for receiving the bucket teeth, the plate being secured to the bucket by a turnbuckle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,507, issued Aug. 7, 1984 to A. A. Gaub, describes a grader blade attachment for a front end loader or backhoe in which the blade attachment has a support arm which has an upright post at one end which fits between ears on the rear of the bucket and is secured to the ears by a pin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,980, issued Jun. 11, 1985 to N. Solaja, discloses a grader blade attached to a loader bucket, the blade being mounted on a cylinder having a slot defined therein for receiving the front edge of the bucket, the cylinder being secured to the bucket by chains.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,191, issued Nov. 24, 1992 to C. J. Davis, teaches a front end loader with a bucket convertible to a dozer blade, the dozer blade forming the back wall of the bucket. Japanese Patent No. 4-231523, published 08/1992, shows an earth removing device for an extra-small-size shovel car which shows a blade connected to a shovel or bucket by a spring.
There are, however, problems associated with known devices for attaching grader blades and other accessories to the bucket of an earthmoving machine. Several of these devices are attached directly to or over the teeth of the bucket, leading to failure of the teeth from fatigue and wear. Several of the devices do not provide for adjustment of the angle of the blade about a vertical axis, nor for adjustment of the tilt of the blade vertically. Several of the devices require modification of the bucket, or are time consuming, cumbersome and inefficient to install and dismount from the bucket.
An apparatus for attachment of a grader blade, compactor, or other accessory to the bucket of an excavator to expand the functionality of the excavator would be advantageous, inasmuch as the excavator is a tracked vehicle with an extensible and powerful boom which can operate in areas where a bulldozer would have difficulty competing, such as on wet or soft ground.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The apparatus for attaching an accessory to an excavator is a device for attaching a grader blade, brush blade, compactor, or other accessory to the bucket of an excavator. The apparatus comprises a body having a front end and a rear end. A pair of hooks rise from the front end of the apparatus body and are inserted between the bucket teeth in order to engage the lower edge of the bucket. A pair of chains are attached to the rear end of the accessory body, the other end of the chains being attached to the rear of the bucket. Load binders are used to tighten the chains and firmly attach the body of the apparatus to the bottom of the bucket.
In a preferred embodiment, the body of the apparatus is a hollow C-shaped box. A hollow pie-shaped wedge has one sided welded to the accessory, viz., the rear face of a blade. The opposite V-shaped end fits in the open front end of the C-shaped box and is secured by a pivot pin so that the accessory pivots laterally. Hydraulic cylinders are attached between the sides of the C-shaped box and the accessory to control pivoting of the accessory.
In another embodiment, the body of the apparatus has a front face from which a support arm having a ball at its free end extends. The ball engages a socket mounted on the accessory so that the accessory is pivotally mounted on the support arm. In the case of a grader blade, hydraulic cylinders are attached to the apparatus body with their pistons attached to the blade to control the angle and tilt of the blade. In another embodiment, a post depends from, and is pivotally attached to, the bottom surface of the apparatus body. The accessory is pivotally mounted to the post. The angle and tilt of the blade or other accessory are adjusted manually.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an apparatus for attaching a grader blade, compactor, or other accessory to the bucket of an excavator.
It is a further object of the invention to an apparatus for mounting a grader blade or other accessory to an excavator which is quick and convenient to use.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for attaching a grader blade to the bucket of an excavator which includes means for adjusting the angle and, optionally, the tilt of the blade.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.